The Ice that burned the Innocent Hand
by Wolfie-V
Summary: Finn, the young hero of Ooo, has survived meetings with evil overlords, scrapes with death, break-ups and even the loss of an arm. And has coped by doing what he loves - fighting evil. So how, exactly, will he deal with an evil that CAN'T be fought by yelling at it or hitting it? (re-write of Looking Through the Ice) (Rated T for themes and violence)
1. Prologue

**THE ICE THAT BURNED THE INNOCENT HAND**

**PROLOGUE**

Good morning, speck. Did you have a good nap? No? Good. I made the floor extra filthy and disease-ridden for you to sleep on, so the night should have been terrible. I'm actually quite relived. I was beginning to think you were comfy down there, and for a second – absurd as it seems – I thought I was a bad criminal mastermind! Ha! Well, strap in for a whistle stop tour of MY land of Ooo, because it's going to be a long, long ride. Wait, what am I saying? I'll strap you in. Nice and tight – there we go. You can already see the rash around your feet and hands. I'm so proud of myself. Oh look – drops of blood! The fun's already starting! I'm so excited! Eee! And the screams! Glorious! You know, I would have gagged you, but I prefer to hear your helpless pleas for help. Like having your own personal choir of angels…if those angels screamed for mercy. Are you sitting uncomfortably? Then here we go.

First stop – The Candy Kingdom. You know what that is, speck? A kingdom. Made from candy. I know. Surprising. I shall miss it when I squash it under my feet. Kinda like I squashed you, speck. But I will feel guilty about the people. They seem nice enough, and I don't COMPLETELY hate them. There's this one character; I don't go often, so I don't know his name – something Cupcake, maybe? Anyway, this guy, I SWEAR he has devoted his life to becoming more muscular. But, he isn't some kind of jerk for it. No, quite the opposite, he's really nice. He didn't even think of KISSING this other woman, Lady Rainicorn, because SHE had a boyfriend already. Why didn't he? He is super muscly and she was TOTALLY flirting with him anyway, but he was super nice and let her down easily, before apologising to her boyfriend anyway. And there's this other one, Peppermint Butler. He's…kinda odd, but admirable. With his friends and all. Even I can't make friends with the Lord of the Deadworlds - and that is saying something. Even so, he tends to his mistress whole heartedly, helping her in any way he can. Because of his acquaintances, I first thought this was for his own gain, but now? I don't think anyone would stick with HER for that long simply because they wanted something from her. No, I think he actually wants to help her. Urgh. Actually, I take back what I said earlier. I won't feel that guilty when I crush their sugared bones into dust. Peppermint is a traitor to the evil underworld.

So, you'd think that the ruler of such a 'sweet' kingdom would be equally sweet, right? Wrong. A pre-war phrase states that 'The Devil wears Prada'. After observing this monstrosity, however, I believe they got it wrong. The Devil wears pink, with a golden circlet crown and piercing magenta eyes. Medical advances she makes in the lab are tinged with some kind of manic hunger for advancement. I saw it before, before the war. In disgusting HUMANS. Uh. Horrible. They cared not for others. They cared only for themselves, and were willing to tread on the toes of any creature to advance themselves. I see ALL those attributes in the pink devil. She reminds me of them to the point at which I begin to see nothing but a bleached humanoid whenever she ruins my view and breaks the peace. In fact, she reminds me of a 'controlling' human – a breed of human called a dictator. A dictator does nothing to help their people; SHE does nothing to help her people. A dictator removes freedom; SHE removes freedom. And yet, her people still love her, look up to her no matter what. I have yet to figure out why. So, back to the original point – if you want to see a devil, that's the place I'd take you. Hmm? No, I'm not a hypocrite. What makes you say that, speck? Just because I'm evil, doesn't mean I love all evil beings. Don't stereotype – that's rude. Although…I admire her ruthlessness, I give her that.

Right, that's enough of that. I was thinking of building a giant pool there once I'm done with destroying the kingdom. Cool, huh? And it'll be for my personal use. Hey, why not go all out and make the sides of the pool from their broken candy bodies. Yeah, that sounds about evil enough. And I could have their screams haunting the water as I bathe then. Ah, relaxation. Can't wait for it when I'm done conquering the world. Ok, next stop, the Fire Kingdom. Wait – I almost forgot. We need to do that spell for fire proofing. Unless you'd rather burn to death, which I could have arranged without trekking all the way over here. Close your eyes, speck, I don't want you blinded just yet.

…Ignore the scraping feeling along your arm. I just need a few drops of blood for this to work…

…and the rubbing feeling. That's just me rubbing the magic cream on your skin. Honest.

There. You can open your eyes now. Oh, what's that you cry? You didn't feel any rubbing on your face or feet? Yeah. I meant for that to happen. I 'ran out' of cream before I could fire proof those parts. Be glad I fireproofed your clothes – without that added protection, your clothes would have burned, and, fire proof or not, you skin would have followed. My last captive went that way. As amusing as her screams were, it was very messy. I had to buy a new carriage. I do hate messy things.

Onwards we go, into the kingdom itself. Stop moaning. I hate moaning. Such a worthless sound to make. Go back to screaming. Personally, that kingdom was my second favourite place in Ooo – run by a misunderstood overlord who ruled with a fiery fist over the weak minded fire people, a volcanic castle which erupted upon either the King or his family being angered, people which were slaves as much as anything else. What's not to like? Of course, there's always the threat of imminent death hanging around you. But then again, you already have that, don't you, speck. Pff. Anyway, those glorious days are over. The King turned out to be weakened scum like the rest of the kingdom, and his daughter, who he was WARNED about upon her birth, attacked and overtook him. Pathetic. His daughter held promise of ruthlessness, but ruled with horrible FAIRNESS. It's unnatural. She provides what her people need, and gives things away for free with the only motive being KINDNESS. What a waste of destructive energy. I thought I could influence her, control her in that jar. Oh, you thought it was the pink devil that did that? No no no no, my disadvantaged ally, it was me, it's ALWAYS been me, controlling others, pulling the strings. I had the daughter under my strings too, up until recently. To think, nearly fourteen years of control DESTROYED by a PATHETIC, UGLY entity that didn't DESERVE her power. And now, she's broken. I have no hope of getting her back now. Great. I'm angry now. Lovely. I've tried so hard with it, too. All those anger management classes, all that money, wasted. Let's just go, before I destroy the castle now. I must wait before I destroy it. If I strike too early, my plan won't work.

Ew. Have you seen your face? It got totally scorched up in the kingdom. I mean, it was bad before, but now, I can't even see what it was meant to be. Ha. Yes, wail. I thought that might draw out some despair from your broken body.

And now, we go to my absolute favourite place in all of Ooo. We're gonna walk through the Forest of Doom. I think I'll tighten your bonds so you don't fall out or get snatched. There. I do love the blue colour limbs turn after a while. I remember this one captive - I think I nicknamed him Squish, because that's the noise he made after a few days – his leg turned a pretty shade of aquamarine before falling off. The trauma turned him crazy, so I let him go. Clean too – no mess, all pain. Although, the stump was ugly, so I glued a boot to it. Oh yeah! I left the leg lying around for the bugs to nibble on it when on long journeys in the carriage. Oh look – there it is, to your left. Shame you can't move away from it as it squashes against your face. Here we go – the Forest. When I want to relax, I enjoy a walk through the Forest of Doom. I just love the tall, imposing trees. They make me feel…safe, you know? And those echoing howls, the scuttling creatures in the dirt – brilliant. I guess my favourite part of the forest is the dirt ditches. It's like sleeping in a soft squishy bed. Maybe YOU should go and check it out, huh? I expect you'd like that. Besides, it's not like you'll end up any other way in the end. Don't you worry; a lovely dirt bed is where you'll be sleeping soon enough. I'll pick out a spot over there, in that open area. They call it the grasslands. It's a wide expanse of…well…grass – shock horror - which connects nearly every kingdom on its edges, providing a central point to the land. From it, you could reach everywhere you could wish to within a 15-20 minute walk. In fact, I would have liked to claim the land for myself. It would make for the perfect base. I would have, and I even attempted to take it over a long time ago. But I was thwarted at the last hurdle. I was GUARRENTEED VICTORY. But…HE stood in my way. He's in league with the pink devil, I know he is. Pummelled and broken, humiliated beyond repair, I was the laughing stock of my people for months. HE is the bane of my existence. Every time I see his face, I just want to crush his feeble bones into dust, cooking his pale flesh and listening to his screams…

Ahem. I apologise. It's just…you remember how I said I detested humans? There used to be billions of them on this planet. Back when we all called the land 'Earth'. Weird name, huh? Actually, I suppose it's not as weird as Ooo. Anyhow, there was a war. A huge weapon. The filthy humans ended up destroying themselves and everyone around them. All except one. HIM. HE lives on, a reminder of the HORRIBLE species which are all but gone. And as if to rub salt in the wound, he took over the very place I wished to call my own, and broke my plans into millions of pieces, even teaming up with the pink devil to do so. I hate him with every fibre in my body.

We still have a way to go until we get there, so do you have any questions? Not that it would matter if you did – your pain must be incredible. I imagine you'll injure your vocal chords with all that screaming. Please don't do that – I need your vocal chords for later. Still, there's another place that you should really check out if you want to complete the Ooo experience. It's a little weird, granted, but still high on the list of my favourite places in Ooo. The Ice Kingdom. Pretty self-explanatory, right? I mean, a kingdom made of Ice. Wow, surprising, right? Heh, sarcasm. Gotta love it. Anyway, this kingdom. I don't know WHAT it is about it, but it just makes me happy, you know? Well, as happy as I can get, what with the lack of humans I am able to destroy slowly around here. It's kinda lame, what with the giant face in the mountain and the endless ice desert, but it's so bad that it's funny. But then again, you know all about funny, right?

I wish I could tell you more about the kingdom, but it looks like we are here.

This is it. My favourite place in all of Ooo.

What do you think? It's not what you were expecting, I know. You were expecting me to take you to some kind of dark mansion with skulls hanging from the ceiling, maybe random blood rain coming from the gutters to splatter you head to toe. Perhaps you were half-hoping for a greyish black door set in a stone wall, which stretched up into the rain soaked clouds above; so high, you can't see the top. Inside, maybe you wanted me to have candles lighting the corridors, so the shadows danced to a silent tune. Even better would be to have long red carpets lining the cobwebs on the floor. Yeah, that would be cool, I agree with you on that count. But then you'd want to live out the stereotype of megalomaniacs, wouldn't you? You'd want there to be a cage in the corner, with either a coiled green viper in it or some kind of…I don't know, some sort of black spider the size of my torso? Nope, you'd want it to be larger. Maybe three times the size of the sofa. That sounds right. And then, you'd turn the next room into the dining room. Yeah, with a long table and a single chair at each end. I can see it now in your head; the room would need a massive portrait of me above my seat (because of course, we're all conceited) and all the food would be at my end of the table (because we're all greedy too). Then you would go upstairs, and find my bedroom. Again, multiple portraits of me around the room, perhaps with paintings of my family as well – but only if you imagine me to be _less _of a conceited villain than stereotypes make me out to be. If not, it'll be just me all around the room. Or, even better, images of my enemies everywhere, burned at the corners. There would be a giant poster bed with a candle on each corner, and if you like, you'd add a few severed heads in here as well. Oh, and not to forget the many swords and daggers covered in the blood of my enemies. Yep, they'd all be in my room to, because yes, I am a REALLY CONCEITED evil villain and LOVE to stare at my victories all day.

Tch. And here was me thinking you were different to all the others. Why else would I have kept you alive all this time? Have I been wrong on all counts? Should I kill you now? Heh. Much like the rest. Begging for your pathetic half-breed life. Pah. You're too weak to make it worth my time killing you. So what if you weren't expecting me to lead to you a cobbled little house in a little forest clearing? So what if you didn't believe that I would really say my favourite place was so INNOCENT, so PURE, so…unevil. Is that a word? Unevil? Whatever. It sounds cool. But before you attempt your escape, or I attempt my strike on you, I need to tell you that this house is not, on its own, my favourite place. Its what's inside the house that is my home, my place. What's in there, you say, speck? You make me want to be sick. How can you not sense the most evil being in the whole of the multiverse? Bow down to him, speck. Yes, look at him. He may not look like much right now, but he was degraded down to THIS HORRIBLE HUMAN FORM. And, by no other than the LAST HUMAN HIMSELF. He had no right to do this. NO RIGHT. And yet, he tainted the lord, the one true master of Ooo, who should have won the fight against you horrible beings long ago. But HE always got in the way, ALWAYS THERE, somehow MESSING UP his NOBLE work. I hate him. SO much. But now, my Lord has returned unto us. Look beyond this ugly exterior to the dark soul within. Glorious, isn't it? The way is craves the death of living things without attempt to cover it up.

The Lich. Wonderful name, isn't it. Just SOUNDS like evil, doesn't it? Hang on. What did you say? You said his name, didn't you? How DARE you speak his name. You are a speck, UNWORTHY to even look upon his true form. But for whatever reason, I need you for this. You're the only one who I can get to carry out my wishes. Such a waste of magic power. Why the magic decided to take your body is beyond me. What did it see in YOU? You are clearly incapable of carrying out evil. Much like the daughter of flame. A waste.

We'll soon change that. We'll put that pathetic magic to good use. I found this book, see. I thought it had been destroyed by that BOY, but you know, it wasn't. Not really. It was reborn. A power, magic, locked inside a book for so long, can't be destroyed by means of a simple portal spell. No, it found a new home. It found me. And that delicious knowledge pours through my veins like liquid gold. And that gold shines out of me like a star, a star which burns brighter with the ability to restore my Lord to his original, wonderful darkness. And step one to his restoration involves you. Or, more specifically, your body. You see, I need two objects to restore him. I have the first, and the other object is a little thing called Wish Serum. It enhances the power of the first object – which you don't need to know the name of, speck, so don't ask me again or I'll get _really _mad. And the only place I can get such a thing is in Wizard City. Not my favourite place, but only a wizard can enter. Which is where you come in. I shall possess your body to access your abilities, then purchase the serum, before gathering the final ingredients. You don't need to know what they are. Just know that you're one of them. You and your…human side. Ugh.

There's a poem I heard once. It went something like this.

'_When you are down and can't go on_

_And you've got nothing in the land,_

_Turn around, not all is gone,_

_Ice can't burn an innocent hand._

_When you've been injured beyond repair,_

_And blood flows past you, like grains of sand_

_Know that love is hatred's heir,_

_Ice can't burn your innocent hand._

You've never heard of it before? Not surprised, speck. I think I heard it in the fire kingdom once. Yeah, it must have been. They're all into fancy poems, plays and stuff. I guess it is meant to be about never giving up when things get tough. But, I think it's more appropriate to say that the first verse is about my…failures, shall I say, and the second…well…he he he…I feel I should take it literally.

And now to visit the final stop on our tour. The major event. I shall use the wishing stone to take possession of your mortal body. Savour the next few seconds. They will be your last, after all. Don't try to struggle. It will make the possession all the more painful and simply make your consciousness evaporate. If you don't struggle, I swear that after all of this is over, your soul will die in the proper manner and you will find peace. That is my gift to you for helping me. Of course, you can reject my gift and struggle, meaning that you will die now and become a spirit, forced to wander without memory for the rest of eternity.

The choice is yours. Peace, or restless pain.

Your move, Ice Wizard.

**AN:**

**Ok, so, I guess I have quite a bit of explaining to do. I expect that you were all waiting me to update on 'Looking Through the Ice' or 'Rising Bubbles'. Well, the good news here is that MY HIATUS IS OVER! My exams are finished, and I think (emphasis on think) I did alright in them. But anyway, now I have nearly three whole months to write on my fics until I join sixth form in September (Basically, I've finished high school, but in England it is compulsory to study for another year or two. In my case, two, because I'm too young to do anything else).**

**However, back to the original issue. When I came back after my exams, I re-read my stories and, well, I know I can do better. So, I'm going to re-write them. Both of them. Which means that, after this chapter goes up, 'Looking Through the Ice' will be deleted from the website. Why 'Looking Through the Ice'? Well, guess what – this IS the re-write. I decided to do that one first because it was the oldest of my stories, and the worst written too. **

**But now, I have a proper plan! I will know exactly what will happen, chapter by chapter, so as such, the updates should be running quicker too. I also read some books which really helped me. They are called:**

'**How to craft a great story' by Chris Sykes**

'**Write great Dialogue' by Irving Weinman**

'**Write a novel and get it published' by Nigel Watts and Stephen May.**

**I really suggest reading them, as they offer clear tips and guidance, as well as ways to remove writers block.**

**I hope you enjoy this new story, and although it seems similar to the original story – events to differ quite dramatically. So please don't draw any parallels between the two, or you'll end up being quite, quite confused. Even so, removing the original is a safety precaution so I don't get in trouble with . (y'know, the duplicate story rule…please don't tell me I'm the only one who read the rules…wow. I feel even nerdier than before now.)**

**Look out for chapter 2, and the re-write of Rising Bubbles (which I'm going to call 'Darkness Falls and Bubbles Rise' (name may be changed but will be similar to that)), and again apologies for the long wait and the eventual re-writes.**

**Adventure on!**

**Wolfie-V**

**BONUS:**

**K, so, I'll be putting questions here. Answer them in the review section. If you are correct, I'll give you a special shout-out in the next chapter (along with the correct answer for any curious people.) Note that questions will not reveal any major plot points, but rather will add to the story.**

**QUESTION: WHO WAS THE CAPTIVE NICKNAMED 'SQUISH' MENTIONED IN THIS CHAPTER?**

**(Hint: The character is from Adventure Time, and is male)**


	2. Chapter 1

**THE ICE THAT BURNED THE INNOCENT HAND**

**CHAPTER 1**

Breathe in…breathe out. Breathe in…breathe out. Repeat the cycle until your mind is a blank slate. Breathe in…breathe out. Yeah, seems simple when you write it down on paper. Certainly the royal psychiatrist made it seem easy. But then again, for someone who has found elemental peace, everything seems easy. Controlling anger – easy. Walking gracefully – easy. Ensuring that the last remaining king doesn't go insane – well, he seems to be a good job so far. I mean, I haven't burned up the throne room with passionate anger. Yet. I think I'm doing a good job as royalty, all things considered. There have been no riots, the citizens seem happy and for the first time ever, the castle assassin SMILED. And I thought he couldn't smile underneath all that bandaging on his face. I'm so happy I managed to get him to smile. Maybe later I could even try to befriend him. That really would be awesome. Imagine – The Flame King and the assassin are friends. Take that, Dad! But for now, I need to stay calm. Meditate.

Breathe in…breathe out.

Breathe in…

An image of a dungeon pops up. The dim candle swaying in response to the wind, created by movement of people. Pebbles on the floor lighting up as I walk over them, sparks catching on greyish coloured ones. Skulls lining the walls, empty eye sockets staring out unblinkingly at me as I walk past. I light a torch, the movement reflexive and useless. Because, you know, I'm sorta made of fire. A pile of golden coins from a dead era in the corner. I trip over them and they scatter on the ground. I bend to pick one up, and hold it in my hand for a few seconds, before blinking hard and placing it in my dress pocket. A pond at the centre of the corridor. I step around it. A large room with a hologram at the centre. My thoughts change. Something is missing here. I walked through the dungeon before this, and I wasn't the one picking up gold pieces and lighting torches for no reason. The movement of another body, torches flicker more, and a noise like metal on rock as someone slams through the projection and onto a wall behind it. Time passes. I meditate some more.

"GAH!"

I open my eyes suddenly. The well-lit room around me illuminates the many red gems I have decorated my room with, and in the largest ones I can see my face. I look shocked, I look tired, but what surprises me the most is that I look young. Well, younger. While my citizens tell me I look older on the throne, a confident woman who is wiser than my 16 years, they cannot see me when I am alone. That's when my memories come back. Memories that I find too painful to think of. And when I asked for my memories to be removed, I was told that it was impossible, and that meditation helps with time.

Guess what. It doesn't. It makes it worse.

It enhances the memories and sucks me back to last year, the year before. It makes me mad. Some king I am. If I can't control my own memories, how am I meant to control my people? At least I have people who try to help me. Overlay these memories with others, memories just as sweet as the ones I try to forget, but without the tinge of sadness and anger that goes with them. People like CB. He's nice. I think he has some kind of crush on me, which I don't know whether to find strange or not. I mean, he's a candy creature! If I try to advance any make-believe relationship with him, he'll be injured, or…or worse!

Just like…

No. I can't keep dwelling on the past. Those memories are gone. I should try to meditate some more. It could help. Maybe.

Breathe in…breathe out.

Breathe in…breathe out.

Breathe in…brea…

I'm in a dungeon. No, no I'm not. I'm in a prison. The bars show me an image of myself. I do look older. But at the same time…not. My dress doesn't help matters. It's pale, shapeless, the kind young flames wear to bed at night. But my face looks old. Tired. I have folds of fire underneath my eyelids, bringing focus to my orange eyes. My mouth is turned downwards in exhaustion. I cling to the bars. For some reason, my brain won't let me remember why I'm in the prison, but I know something bad has happened. CB isn't with me. He should be. He's my knight…no, wait…no he's not…or, at least, not yet…

I stare out at the room in front of me. There are shouts coming from my right, and a rumbling sound from in front of me. Two figures enter the room. My father and the other one. There is a crash as the wolf breaks through the wall ahead of me. CB runs over, and my brain becomes fuzzy in clarity. The bars vanish, and I run out, with someone next to me. They sit behind me on the wolf. I cling to the fur around me. The memory fades.

"DAMN IIIIIIIIIT!"

I did it again. Great. Why can't I concentrate on anything? I meditated fine until…

That's it. All my memories have been building to this. The final one. That incident with my father, and Don John, and CB, and him. Always him. Blocking my thoughts until all I can think about is him. Incidents with him, adventures with him, fights with him. Him, him, him. He was gone from my thoughts, and then he came back. No, I _wanted _him back. To help me. And he messed up all my thoughts.

So if introducing him back to my life messed up my thoughts…

Then the only logical thing to do would be to remove him from my life. Total split.

I sighed. I didn't want to do this. Not one bit. I like him, but after what he did to me…I can't be with him. And this obsessive memory recall about him has to end.

I heard footsteps behind me. Someone's coming to my room. I look down at what I am wearing – an outfit of a pale red dress with red belt at my waist, with a white petticoat underneath. My hair is tied up in two messy buns, random pieces of hair falling over my shoulders. I stand up and smooth down my dress, before turning to face the door. It suddenly swings open, and a figure who seems in a state of panic stands there. Cinnamon Bun. His hand frozen on the door, he scans the room with wild eyes. He appears to be shaking, and from the expression on his face it looks as though he was expecting the worst.

"Flame Princess?" he asks nervously, his voice wavering on the first word. No matter how much he has changed since he got hit with fire, I can never seem to get over how he went from yelling everything to softly whispering with care, like each word needed to be crafted in his throat before it is delivered to the air wrapped in paper. His eyes finally fall upon me, and I give him a small smile. His face instantly relaxes. His eyes dilate and he breathes a loud sigh of relief. Taking his hand off of the door, he stands upright and places each hand back to his side. He returned my smile with one of his own. That's another major change about him. Gone is the goofy grin that seemed permanently plastered to his face, and in its place is a much smaller smile, one rarely seen but rewarding when it is.

"Oh thank goodness. Princess, I heard you scream, and thought you might be in danger. I'm sorry."

I maintained my smile, but even I could feel that is wasn't completely genuine.

"Thank you, CB. I'm fine. I was simply…meditating."

The half-lie hung in the air like lead, falling through CB's feather soft words. His smile vanished from his face, and his expression changed into one of concern. He opened his mouth to say something, but I held up my hand to stop him. I looked to the floor, and sighed, letting my hand fall back to my side, only for my palm to grip the dress with an iron hold. Looking back up, I saw that CB has moved forward a step, his arms raised for any comfort I might need. But it wasn't comfort I needed right then. I needed understanding, and I wasn't sure he would ever understand how I felt right then.

"Come on, Princess, what's the matter?"

The soothing words wrapped around me like a gentle caress. A tear formed in my eye, but I blinked it away with force and steeled my voice for the next words.

"I need to forget about Finn."

Each word was like a dagger pinning my heart down in my chest. I didn't want to forget about Finn. But needed to. For my people. And that hurt me. A lot. I searched CB's face for some sort of reaction, or at least anything that would make me feel better. But he just stood there, frozen in the same position he was a minute ago – arms open, worry on his face. Seconds passed, and I grew more and more uncomfortable. This wasn't like CB at all. I wished I could see what he was thinking. Finally, he dropped his arms, and looked me straight in the eyes.

"Princess. If that is your will, then I will support you in any way I can."

I shook my head. This wasn't right. I needed his opinions, not some royal pledge.

"No. CB, please, tell me what you think. Am I right in doing this?"

"Yes."

The reply was instantaneous. No hesitation. I thought it weird for a second until he continued.

"You have been thinking a lot lately. When I met you, you were happier than you are now, and seeing as you had just broken up with him and been under testing by Princess Bubblegum, that really is saying something. Princess, if letting go of Finn will really make you happier, then your will is mine."

I sighed, and smiled. Really smiled.

"Thank you CB. That means a lot."

CB smiled back, one of his rare smiles, and said "So, how will you do it?"

I looked to my desk, with the boxed paper I had. It was a gift from someone (I forget who) and I used it for important documents. This is what I pointed to now.

"CB," I said. "I'm going to need you to write a letter…"

* * *

"Yo Jake! Wait for me, you idiot!"

"He he-he he-he he-he he!"

"JAAAAAAKE!"

I splutter out the last line, before collapsing in a heap on the floor. Jake skips back to me, dancing around my fallen body. He shrinks back to normal size and sits on my stomach. My face pulls itself into a frown, and I bring up my left arm to punch him in the head, but he grows larger and squashes my arm before it could move much.

"Wow. Thanks, Jake." I wheeze, attempting to move away from his ever growing buttocks. "You

want me to lose my left arm just as I regain the right one?"

Jake simply laughs. "Dude, you are SO not playing the 'Ooo, poor me and my arms' card again." he said, mocking me and raising his voice as he imitated me. I wriggle some more.

"Come on, bro. My voice ain't that high anymore."

Jake giggles again, before covering my mouth with his butt. Not for the first time, may I add. And, also not for the first time, I open my mouth and chomp down on the flesh. He yelps and springs off of me, enabling me to move and flop quickly onto him. He growls.

"Dude. Not. Cool. No biteys."

It's my turn to laugh as he worms around attempting escape. But my humour is short lived as he shrinks down impossibly tiny and proceeds to run all over my body. I convulse on the floor, rendered helpless as he tickles me everywhere.

"Duude. No-ha ha ha ha – cool –ha ha ha ha!"

Jake pops out from under my T-shirt, directly at the base of my neck. I look down, puzzled, and my eyes widen as I realise what he is about to do.

"No Jake. No. Not that. No."

He does it. He tickles my neck. Boom. I'm on the floor, unable to move. Jake regrows to normal size (completely ripping my shirt, may I add) and lays there.

"I think I win there, bro." he says triumphantly. I gasp and regain my breath.

"I guess you did. I lose. You win."

Jake looks down at me and grins wider, before rolling off onto the grass next to me. We lay there, side by side, facing the sky. It's a sunny day – one that may be common in Ooo, but each one is different. I can hear bees in the distance, and I'm reminded of Breezy. I wonder how she's doing. I haven't seen her since she helped me with my arm, and I need to thank her. I hear a gentle snore from Jake, signifying sleep, and a giggle escapes me. Time for some payback.

I get up quietly, and pad over to the treehouse. Upon opening the door, I find that, since the room is empty now, I can find stuff a lot easier. For instance, our mail. Usually it falls in amongst the treasure, but now it piles up at the door. But I'm not looking for mail. I'm looking for ice cream. I walk over to the kitchen, and look in the freezer. There it is – a large tub of ice cream. I lift it out and tuck it under my arm. On leaving the room, I look out the window. There's Jake, still lying on the ground, still sleeping. And there's the ice kingdom, still…frosty. I shake my head and leave the room. It takes mere seconds to get back to Jake, and open the tub. I use my hands to scoop the ice cream out of the tub, and begin to spread it in a ring around Jake. I am halfway through this when Jake says something in his sleep, "No, no, I'm the lord of pizza…". I stifle a laugh and resume spreading the cream around. My job done, I stand up and poke Jake in the belly with a toe. He groans, and rolled over. Onto the ice cream. I poke him again, this time on the other side. He mumbles something unintelligible, before rolling over onto the other ice cream. I can't help it – I let out a loud laugh. Jake moans again, before opening an eye and wiping his face.

"What the…" he mumbles, before opening both eyes fully and rubbing his body.

"OH GLOB! I'M MELTING! I'M MELTING!"

I can't help it. I laugh out loud. This seems to wake Jake up completely, and he looks down at his body. He is shocked for a second, before turning to face me. He looks so comical that I can't breathe for laughing for a second. He opens his mouth to say something, then stops. There is a rumbling sound in the distance. Coming from the Ice Kingdom. I stop laughing, and look towards the kingdom, Jake doing the same. The ice looks slightly hazy, then blue sparks begin to snake upwards towards the sky, like reverse lightening. I would have said it was cool if we weren't sitting mere metres away from the spectacle. Suddenly the ground begins wobbling. I find myself unable to move, and I look to Jake in horror. He is saying something I cannot hear, then launches himself at me, covering my body with his in protection. The shaking lasts for an eternity, stopping just as suddenly as it started. Jake slowly untangles himself from me, and we both stare at the ice kingdom.

It's a wall. That's putting it quite simply. It's a wall. Of ice. We can see through it, but the image is hazy. There really is nothing more to say about it. I can hear Jake repeating "Oh my glob" over and over, but I just sit in silence. My mind catches up, and I stand.

"We need to see Princess Bubblegum."

Jake gets up next to me. He looks frazzled, and more than a little confused.

"Can't we just…you know…go up to it and see what it is first? I might be able to go over it, you know. It could be all over before Peebles even realises."

I give Jake a withering look. "Really, Jake? The science princess who wants to know everything WON'T be interested in a giant wall of Ice outside the Ice Kingdom? Come on, dude. She'll probs be here in a minute to check it out anyway."

Jake smiles at me, and rolls his eyes. "All right. We'll go to the Candy Kingdom first." After, he whispers loudly "So you can see Bubblegum again."

I hit him on the shoulder, and grin back. "I heard that."

Jake laughs, and began walking towards the candy kingdom, me following close behind.

* * *

I hate mornings.

I swear I didn't hate them when I was a little girl. I loved mornings. The way the sun splashed through the window; a million opportunities for discovery and adventure awaiting you. The birds would sing at my open window, and I remember just sitting there, listening for what seemed like hours.

And then I turned 18, and the kidnappings began. At first, it was just once, and may I say it caused chaos amongst the guards at the palace. I think I should be impressed. Months went by, then it occurred again. More panic, then doubled guards at my call 24 hours a day. Then again. More panic. And again. Panic. Kidnapping, panic, kidnapping, panic. And all in the morning. Pretty soon, my day was almost predictable – Wake up, get kidnapped, wait in jail for an hour or two being bored, get rescued by a hero or something (it used to be one of the elite gumball guards, then Billy, then there was a stage where I managed to escape alone, then other princesses would help, then it was Finn), calm the panicked citizens and guards, remain watched in my lab for the rest of the day, go to sleep.

No wonder I hated mornings after a couple of years of this.

So when the kidnappings stopped, hundreds of years later…I felt lost. A few months ago, I awoke not at dawn to an aged ice wizard grabbing me, but to the chime of a clock. It chimed 10 times. 10. I slept until ten o'clock. At first, I couldn't believe it, expected Ice King to burst out of a closet and whisk me away (he's done it before). But after a thorough search with my banana guards, I let myself believe it. I was free.

I should have been happy. My mornings were safe, and I could once again enjoy the innocence of a joyful start to the day. But instead, my mind was accustomed to bad mornings, and couldn't cope. I began to wake up breathless in the mornings, fearful of what might happen. Once, I awoke in a half-crazed state of mind, expecting attacks from foreign kingdoms, and ordered my elite group of warriors to withstand sleep gas (with their minds alone, may I add) in case of a large scale attack.

Thank goodness Marcie was there to rescue me from that frenzy.

Just last week, however, things began to look up. For the first time in centuries, I woke up to the bird song at my window, and listened in sweet serenity. I was at peace. Finally, I could look forward to the morning, and not lie awake at night dreading the frosty glow from the sun.

I should have guessed it wouldn't last long.

This morning, I awoke to a knocking at my door. I rubbed my eyes, and called the person in. It was Peppermint Butler. Honestly, I was expecting another lecture on how I was nearly 1000 years old now, and that I couldn't exploit the teenager stereotype of 'sleeping until midday' anymore. In my sleep-induced state, I rolled my eyes and yawned at the window. Usually at this point, he would have told me not to do that (very un-princess like of me to yawn without covering my mouth), but not today. He gravely approached the bed, and stopped by my side. His face was a blank, but his eyes were unusually grief-stricken. I started to panic.

"Peppermint Butler, what's wrong? What happened? Has there been an accident? Did…did someone die?" I whispered the last bit, and Peppermint Butler – truly against his nature – did nothing to console me. He locked his eyes with mine, and placed an envelope on my lap, his gaze never wavering. His lips parted, and he stated something I would never have guessed.

"It's from the Fire Kingdom."

In a split second, hundreds of images flashed through my brain. Fire Kingdom. The evil dictator. The young heiress. My role in trapping her behind a glass wall. Allowing evil to rule unchecked. The freedom the heiress gained. The tentative relationship between her and Finn. Their friendship growing into something more. That kiss. The fiery matrix breaking down and almost destroying the Earth. My thoughts of…killing the girl…to save Ooo. The break-up. Cinnamon Bun leaving. The Heiress ruling, and almost dying, at the hands of her subjects.

I flopped back against the pillows, suddenly drained. Questions buzzed through my head. Why contact me? Of all people, me? Was it something to do with the unsteady relationship between their two kingdoms? Or something more personal? Why contact me NOW? Why ignore me when her life was at stake, but contact me in a time of relative peace? Why would she write it down? Why not send a message via a messenger? Why not visit me herself? Why? Why? Why?

I looked at Peppermint Butler. His face was still blank. Did he…know something? His expression had become unreadable.

The envelope was still in my lap, the blue tinge of a fire protection spell still lingering on the white paper. It had landed face down, and the seal of the flap had been stuck down with a sticky form of lava rather than spit. I briefly wondered whether it was safe to touch, but even whilst I was pondering it my hand had picked it up and had turned it over.

There was no address. It had been delivered by hand. The scorch marks from a flaming handprint still lingered on the top side. The only writing on the front was my name, followed by a sentence of a few words.

"I'm sorry, PB."

My breath caught in my throat. 'I'm sorry'? Where had THAT come from? Was it a sorry for previous events, or for what I was about to read? SO many questions. Also, PB? She probably heard that from Finn. He almost never calls me Princess Bubblegum. It's always 'PB' or 'P-Bubs' or something new. Somehow, I found myself smiling as I opened the envelope. A jet of steam rose from the inside, and there is was. A folded piece of paper, slightly curled at the sides from intense heat exposure. I swallowed, and pulled it out.

This is what I read.

"_Dear Princess Bubblegum._

_This is the Flame King, or as you may know me, Flame Princess. Well, I am no longer a Princess, and I have ascended to my full title. You will already know this, of course. I just felt I needed to make sure we're all on the same page first._

_What I have to say is of no consequence to your kingdom, or to you, or to your citizens. So, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Do not tell your subjects the contents of this letter – as it may spark a rage inside of them. And yes, I know they explode. It will almost certainly spark a rage inside you too. Please, I ask you, from one ruler to another, to never reveal this letter to anyone. I would also appreciate it if you read this alone."_

At this point, although I did breathe that sigh of relief, a sick feeling had begun to accumulate in my stomach. I asked Peppermint Butler to leave the room, and after some persuading, he did. I checked to see if the windows were closed, before shutting the curtains and lighting a candle. I gulped down some air, and continued reading.

"_This is hard to write, so I am sure you can understand why I didn't visit in person. This letter concerns your hero, Finn the Human. I wrote to you because you are the only one who is close to Finn, but not too close as to refuse what I ask of you, and also because you have tracked our relationship. I did know you set up a camera at my new house in the woods. Therefore you know why I want you, and no other, to follow my wishes. In a way, no-one knows me like you do._

_The thing is, recently my kingdom was under attack from a rebellion led by my father and my uncle. I turned to Finn to aid me, since he has the relevant fighting knowledge for a situation like this. I wished for his presence to be platonic – as in, he would help me, then go home. He didn't. Throughout the mission, he flirted with me, attempted to get closer to me, and even hindered the progress of the mission by doing so. I should be angry, but I am really not. It flatters me to have someone who would do such things for me and me alone. But when he went home, he left something behind. Memories. Painful ones, at that. He brought back all the moments where I felt _loved_ by him during our relationship. And these moments…will not go away._

_So what I ask of you is this. I want you to keep Finn away from me. And I want you to be explicit. Tell him I said to stay away. Tell him that I am too busy ruling to have any close friendships – or any friendship - outside the kingdom. He will take this hard, but I know it's for the best. If I completely break it off, then he can move on, and I can rule in peace once more. _

_You are probably angry. I understand that. And you can understand why I could not go to anyone but you for this. Anyone else would either not bother to tell him, or be so angry that they wouldn't tell him. But please, don't let this personal favour destroy the bond between our kingdoms. Because our kingdoms _are _growing closer. Don't let a petty squabble get in the way of that._

_In deepest sorrow and guilt,_

_Flame King."_

I sat there for a while. I read the letter again. A numb feeling began to spread from my centre to my toes. I re-read the letter twice, thrice, four times over. Feelings washed over me in waves – relief at the lack of threat to my kingdom's safety, anger at her selfishness for her own kingdom, sadness for Finn, fear that I would be the one to tell him what she wrote.

But what frightened me most was the understanding. The understanding that all relationships would need to be killed off in order to successfully rule a kingdom. The understanding that this involved breaking hearts along the way.

I placed the letter on the bed with shaking hands. It should be me to tell him. She was right. I had to.

I pulled back the sheets. Yes, there was no other choice. I had got too close to their relationship, and now I was paying the price.

I stepped on the ground, and the earth shook beneath my feet.

…no really, the room was shaking.

Things began falling from shelves around the room. I shrieked, and grabbed the bedpost as it slid around the room. As it passed a window, I gripped the ledge with an iron clench, and struggled to remain upright. My head drew level with a pane of glass, and I looked out onto the grasslands and onto the Ice Kingdom. At the border, I could see a yellow ball clinging to the grass. Jake, for sure. And within the border of the kingdom, sheets of ice began to climb. Up and up into the clouds they flew, and at the centre of the kingdom was a storm of blue lightning bolts, stretching from the ground up towards a point in the sky that was too high to be visable. My mouth dangled open, and just as the ice entered the white cloud layer miles above my head, the ground stopped shaking. The yellow ball unrolled itself, revealing a smaller blue shape. Finn. My feet skated on the floor, and I wound up staring at my ceiling. Getting to my feet again, I saw that the two shapes were approaching the palace. I turned from my window, suddenly sick. Between me and the door, the letter lay face down, its envelope next to it.

"I'm sorry, PB."

I'm sorry too, FP. I never thought that breaking a person once would lead to such attachments. And I never thought that I would have to break a person twice.

* * *

**AN: Ok, so, I probably should have also mentioned that I'm doing something different to normal here – first person POV's. I won't keep putting who's it is (it should be obvious) but I will put a page break whenever the POV changes. Sorry if this caused any confusion, but I feel I can put more character development and emotions in with first person perspectives. I dunno whether I will put in 3****rd**** person narrative as well later on, but it's certainly possible. Hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway **** Oh yeah, and FP's outfit? Think the one she wore in 'Earth and Water', then add the hair she had in 'Ignition Point'.**

**Also apologies for leaving so long between the prologue and the first chapter! I was on holiday for two weeks, and then had work experience for a week. (So that's two, plus three, plus a week…sorry. I had to quote it.) I know that's no real excuse. So, sorry. I think the next chapter should be soon (Maybe?). For those awaiting a rewrite/update on Rising Bubbles, you will have to wait a little longer. I have no plans to start anything for that until this fic is underway properly, so maybe around chapter 7? **

**Thank you to Purple Ice Queen for reviewing (and I'm sorry about our collab that never made it properly. Really, I am. **** )**

**Thank you also to X-Death-x for favoriting the story! Much appreciated **

**Answer to BONUS from the Prologue: **'Squish' was the Royal Tart Toter. Yep, in this universe, the brave and noble Tart Toter was captured by the resident megalomaniac and as a result went crazy. I thought I should provide some explanation as to why the ex-hero is crazy in the canon storyline. And that was it. Dark, but there you have it – my brain.

**WINNERS FROM PROLOGUE: **There were some good guesses, but no-one guessed correctly. Admittedly, it was difficult, and I probs wouldn't have guessed it either.

* * *

**BONUS QUESTION: WHO IS THE ASSASSIN MENTIONED BY FP AT THE START? Like, in the first couple of paragraphs. **

**(Hint: He has starred in a single Adventure Time episode – at least, he hasn't been in more than one episode to date. He may be in future ones, but at this point, he's only been in one. Also, he doesn't speak. **

**Well, that's more than enough hints, especially with the visual description you have at the top of the page.)**


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